AMERICAN INGENUITY - Houston Ballet

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AMERICAN INGENUITY

Ballet: Artifact Suite

Choreographer: William Forsythe

Dancer(s): Artists of Pennsylvania Ballet

Photo: Alexander Iziliaev

Image provided courtesy of Pennsylvania Ballet

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What’s inside?

Information for Teachers .............................. 2-4

Before We Begin ................................................ 5-8

Welcome to American Ingenuity ................ 9-16

You Try It: Activities .................................... 17-22

Appendices ..................................................... 23-26

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Information for teachers

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American Ingenuity:

Learning Objectives

Students who attend the performance and utilize the study guide will

be able to:

Describe and demonstrate straight, curved and angled shapes as they

relate to dance;

Define and discuss the concept of ingenuity as it applies to choreography

and life;

Describe at least one of the works on the American Ingenuity program

through words or pictures;

Demonstrate appropriate audience behavior.

American Ingenuity:

TEKS Addressed

§117.106. Music, Elementary

(5) Historical and cultural relevance. The student examines music in

relation to history and cultures.

§117.205. Dance, Middle School

(4) Historical and cultural relevance. The student demonstrates an

understanding of cultural, historical, and artistic diversity.

§127.3. Exploring Careers, Middle School

(1) The student explores personal interests and aptitudes as they relate

to education and career planning

§114.22. Languages Other Than English Levels I and II

(4) Comparisons. The student develops insight into the nature of language

and culture by comparing the student's own language and culture to

another.

§117.205. Dance, Middle School

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(5) Critical evaluation and response. The student makes informed

personal judgments about dance and the meaning and role of dance in

society.

§117.306. Dance, High School

(5) Critical evaluation and response. The student makes informed

personal judgments about dance and the meaning and role of dance in

society.

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Before the Performance

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ATTENDING A BALLET PERFORMANCE

Going to see a ballet performance is DIFFERENT than going to a movie:

Ballet is performed live. The dancers can see and react to the audience!

Audience members can show the dancers when they appreciate their

performance! If something is funny, you can laugh! If the dancers are doing

a great job, then you can clap!

At the end of the show, the dancers all

bow. This is called a curtain call. If you

really loved the show, you can give the

dancers a standing ovation to show that

you appreciate their hard work!

School clothes are appropriate, but

some people like to dress up for ballet performances.

Just make sure you are comfortable.

Photos by Cameron Durham

Going to see a ballet performance is the SAME as

going to a movie:

The lights dim before the performance begins and the

theater stays dark during the ballet.

Audience members are expected to stay quietly in their

seats during the performance.

Audience members may NOT take any pictures or video

during the performance. This is distracting to the

dancers and other audience members, AND American

Ingenuity is copyrighted artistic material.

All cell phones and other electronic devices should be

powered OFF as soon as you enter the theater.

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Ingenuity in America

What is Ingenuity?

Ingenuity is the quality of being clever, original, and innovative.

Let’s meet some people whose ingenuity has changed their lives and

others!

Dr. José Hernández-Rebollar

Dr. Robollar was born in Puebla, Mexico in 1969. He came to the US

in 1998 as a Fulbright Scholar. He attended George Washington

University where was receive 8 Ph.Ds. Dr. Robollar is most noted for

his invention of the AcceleGlove. This machine translates the

American Sign Language into spoken and written words. Dr.

Robollar says his invention is driven by his desire to help others live

fuller lives.

Mikaila Ulmer

What makes Mikaila’s lemonade different from others is her

recipe. Her special recipe calls from fresh and organic lemons,

mint leaves, and flaxseed which she sources locally from Austin

farmers. Her honey comes from local beekeepers that use

sustainable farming methods to keep the bees safe and

healthy. Mikaila’s unique lemonade recipe is a healthy

alternative to soda and other sugary beverages.

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs was an American entrepreneur and inventor. He

was most well known as being the co-founder of Apple. He

began his electronics career as a video game designer with

Atari. Mr. Jobs and his co-founder, Steve Wozniak, later started

Apple Computers in 1976. Apple was the most innovative

computer of its time due to its design, cheaper price, and

everyday accessibility for its customers.

Critical Thinking and Writing Opportunity:

Talk with a partner or small group about what makes each of these creations ingenious

(clever, original and innovative). In at least 5 sentences, summarize your findings.

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What Ingenious Ideas Do YOU Have?

Do you have an idea to make the world a safer, easier place to

live?

Step One: Identify a problem.

Step Two: Brainstorm a solution on your own or with a friend.

Step Three: Draw or write about your solution in the space

below.

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WELCOMETO AMERICAN INGENUITY!

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AMERICAN INGENUITY Houston Ballet’s American Ingenuity program features the work of three distinct

and important 20th century American choreographers.

George Balanchine

George Balanchine was born in 1904 in St.

Petersburg, Russia. His training began in 1913 when

he enrolled in the Imperial Theatre Ballet School in St.

Petersburg. Balanchine moved to the United States

in 1933 and founded the School of American Ballet

in 1934. Though he was born in Russia, George

Balanchine is considered the father of the American

ballet style. Balanchine took his Russian Classical

base and expanded, heightened, and streamlined it

to fit the overall energy and speed of American

dancers. He was the founding director and primary

choreographer for New York City Ballet until his

death in 1984.

Theme and Variations

World Premiere: 1947

Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Costume Design: Karinska

Even though he was considered the father of neo-classical ballet, George

Balanchine created Theme and Variations as homage to his past and “to

evoke that great period in classical dancing when Russian ballet flourished with

the aid of Tchaikovsky’s music.” Though the dancers wear traditional tutus and

tunics, the only hint of Classical Era sets are chandeliers hanging.

Joseph Walsh and Artists of Houston Ballet

In George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations

Photo: Amitava Sarkar

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Jerome Robbins

Jerome Robbins is world renowned for his work as a

choreographer of ballets as well as his work as a

director and choreographer in theater, movies and

television. Robbins was born in New York, NY in 1918.

When he went to college, he studied chemistry and

modern dance. Robbins decided to make his

career in dance, working in musical productions and

choreography for the American Ballet Theater and

New York City Ballet. Throughout his career, Jerome

Robbins choreographed many ballets, movies, and

Broadway productions, including West Side Story &

Fiddler on a Roof.

Other Dances


Composer: Frederic Chopin

Costume Design: Santo Loquasto

Jerome Robbins created Other Dances especially for two very famous ballet

dancers, Gelsey Kirkland and Mikhail Baryshnikov. It is a pas de deux (dance

for two) for a man and woman set to several short piano pieces. He made it

for a fundraiser for the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center in

New York City. The choreography references one of Robbins’ most famous

ballets, Dances at a Gathering.

Gelsey Kirkland and Mikhail Baryshnikov

In Jerome Robbins’ Other Dances

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William Forsythe

William Forsythe was born and raised in New York and

received his training in Florida. Forsythe danced with the

Joffrey Ballet and later the Stuttgart Ballet, where in 1976

he was appointed Resident Choreographer. Forsythe is

best known for his groundbreaking contemporary dances.

He has incorporated spoken word, experimental music,

and elaborate art installations into many of his dance

pieces.

Artifact Suite


Composers: J.S. Back and Eva Crossman-Hecht

Costume Design: William Forsythe

Artifact Suite is a group of dances from William Forsythe’s full-length ballet

Artifact (1984). Artifact is remarkable because it is an evening length work,

but there is no story. It is neo-classical. For Artifact Suite, Forsythe selected

duets and several group pieces that push the limits of the dancers’ bodies,

their pointe shoes and the art form of classical ballet.

Artists of Pennsylvania Ballet

In William Forsythe’s Artifact Suite


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What Does NEO-Classical Mean?

The prefix neo comes from Greek and means new. So, neo-classical ballet

means a new version of ballet. Female dancers usually still wear pointe shoes,

and many of the same steps exist in both classical and neo-classical ballet.

In classical ballet, the dancers’ posture is usually upright or vertical. The shapes

are usually balanced and symmetrical, and the dancers make straight shapes.

The costumes and backgrounds of classical ballets are very elaborate. And

classical ballets tell stories and fairy tales.

Sleeping Beauty is an example of a classical ballet. In the photo below, notice

the elaborate sets and traditional tutu and tunic.

Neo-classical ballet, on the other hand, is less rigid and precise than classical

ballet. In neo-classical ballet, more focus is placed on the dancing rather than

the background and costumes. Dancers take their posture off of center,

bending in all different directions. Shapes can be angled and asymmetrical.

The backgrounds and costumes for neo-classical ballets are usually very plain

and simplistic. And there is usually no story in neo-classical ballet. The objective

is to focus all the attention on the technique and ability of the dancers and the

shapes their bodies are making. George Balanchine is considered the father of

Neo-classical ballet.

Four Temperaments by George Balanchine is an example of a neo-classical

ballet. In the photo below, notice that the dancers are wearing practice

clothes, and there are no sets at all.

Artists of Houston Ballet

In George Balanchine’s

Four Temperaments


Connor Walsh, Sara Webb and Artists of

Houston Ballet

In Ben Stevenson’s Sleeping Beauty


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It Takes Teamwork: There are 2 in a Pas de Deux!

In ballet, a pas de deux is a dance duet in which two dancers, typically a male

and a female, perform ballet steps together. When a male and female dance

together and support one another, we call this partnering. All three of the

ballets in American Ingenuity feature pas de deux, and they are all different!

In Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, we see traditional Classical Ballet

partnering where the man is helping the woman stay on pointe and lifting her

high in the air.

In Robbins’ Other Dances, we see a combination of ballet partnering and folk

dancing, so sometimes the dancers are holding hands just like you would every

day.

In Forsythe’s Artifact Suite, the dancers use counterbalance, and the men and

women actually pull each other off balance on purpose! They pull away from

one another equally, so that neither one falls down.

Joseph Walsh and Sara Webb

In Balanchine’s Theme and Variations


Mikhail Baryshnikov and Patricia McBride

In Robbins’ Other Dances

Artists of Pennsylvania Ballet

In Forsythe’s Artifact Suite


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Review & Reflection

1. What does the prefix Neo mean?

2. Compare and contrast the posture, shapes, & design of sets and

costume of classical and neo- classical ballet.

3. What are the differences in the use of partnering or pas de deux in the

3 ballets in American Ingenuity?

*This question can be answered based on the reading or after

the performance for a more detailed response*

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Why do they wear that?

Dancers, like athletes, have to wear special clothes for both practice and

performance.

Class and Rehearsal:

In rehearsal, both boys and girls wear leotards and tights. Just like football

players at the line of scrimmage, dancers need to move fast. It’s best not to

have lots of clothing in the way to add friction. So dancers and many other

athletes wear extra tight pants to help them move faster and more clearly.

Performances:

Houston Ballet dancers wear all different kinds of costumes, depending on the

ballet they are performing

Team USA Track Outfits Houston Ballet Academy in Class

Photos: Cameron Durham

Photo: Cameron Durham

U of H Football Uniform

In classical ballets, women wear tutus, and men wear

tunics. In the photo at right, the Sugar Plum Fairy is

wearing a classical tutu, pointe shoes and tiara. Her

Cavalier is wearing a tunic, tights and ballet slippers.

Pointe shoes are satin ballet slippers that have a hard tip

that allows female dancers dance on the tips of their

toes.

In neo-classical ballets,

dancers wear all kinds of

costumes. In the picture

at left, the male dancer

is wearing tights and

ballet slippers, and the

female dancer is

wearing a leotard, skirt

and pointe shoes.

Houston Ballet Academy

Photo Credit: Cameron Durham

Houston Ballet II Dancers

Photo Credit: Amitava Sarkar

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YOU TRY IT: ACTIVITIES

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You try it: Dancing Shapes

Activity Learning Outcomes

By the end of this activity, student will be able to:

1) Create straight, curved and angled shapes with their own bodies;

2) Critically observe and discuss others’ movement choices;

3) Demonstrate the difference between classical and neo-classical ballet shapes.

In dance, we divide shapes into three categories: straight, curved and angled.

We can see these in the world around us, and we can make them with our bodies.

Straight Curved Angled

Activity 1: The Shapes Around Us

1) Teachers have your students look around your room and find straight shapes.

Remember: we are not looking for geometric shapes necessarily. Anything with a

straight line works.

2) Have a volunteer come to the front of the room (or the center of the circle) and

make a straight shape with his/her body. Try this with a few volunteers.

3) Repeat with Curved and Angled Shapes.

Barbara Bears and Sean Kelly

Photo Credit: Drew Donovan

Straight Shape

Activity 2: Moving Our Shapes

1) Put on some upbeat music and have the dancers

move around the room. With younger dancers, you

can call out gross motor skills, such as march, hop,

skip, gallop. With older dancers, you can call out

qualitative movements, such as float, creep, dart,

slither, etc.

2) When the music stops, the dancers should stop

moving. Call out a kind of shape (straight, curved or

angled). If you are seeing a lot of the same shapes,

encourage dancers to try different levels (low,

middle, high) or different directions, or ask them to

change one body part.

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Activity 3: Critical Observation & Discussion

1) When the dancers are comfortable with moving shapes. Break them into two

groups, and ask them to observe one another. This is a great opportunity for

critical thinking and discussion. What do they notice? What do they see? WHY

do they think that? They should answer with evidence in the form of specific

description.

2) NEO-CLASSICAL Extension. One group is the clay, the other the sculptor. The

clay makes a straight shape with his/her body. The sculptor changes the clay’s

shape and makes it a neo-classical shape by creating angles, making it

asymmetrical, taking it off balance, etc. This can be done by the sculptor

actually touching the clay OR the sculptor can copy the clay’s shape and

make a change in his/her body.

Activity 4: Writing Extension

Students will write about their experience trying

different shapes with their bodies. What kind of

shapes felt most comfortable? Why? What kinds of

shapes did they observe their classmates making?

What was most interesting? Why?

Melissa Hough

in Jiri Kylian’s Forgotten Land


Shape Curved

Shape Angled

Maria Kowroski and Craig Hall In Jorma Elo’s Slice to Sharp Photo: Paul Kolnick

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You Try It: Fantastic Feet

Try making all 5 positions. Which one is hardest?

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You Try It: All About Arms

Try making all 5 positions. Can you keep your back straight

while you do them?

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You Try It: Word Search Activity

American Ingenuity

A Y M S F Z E R N S C E Y X S J F L B B Q P C I G

K R P U W Q U W E U H P V T K A L Y D Q C U O Q D

C R A J Z N M A F I O C E J O D K G S M R J X N E

C B P I H M S O H Q R S K Y O C T K F T K Z H A U

S O Q N T V R F L I E Y Y H D Q B H A N T K M N E

T P U U V S V S X K O T T H H C F I N G R J V F L

K V D N Y Z A J L Q G I N S Z E N I H C N A L A B

O U J T T D V Q S Q R U D R C C S N I B B O R B D

A I H A S E K B G Z A N U R A J V T M D L R L V A

G E Y W N Z R I I Q P E E L I M O X D E N Z W X O

H C D I Y N X B C L H G L O V Z U H Y S L T G P H

M C R Q H Y X K A V E N B R H E Y T Y I D G D I X

Q A O T R L O Q V L R I V H D S E K Y G S O H K G

O T U S B H A Q R F A J P E H J E E Q N V X N A V

X T U Y T H Q I J G G N D J C V N T T E W L L X W

G T C O S U V L T O L S C L I K U M N R S C E V Z

K C Z H R X M W Y B A A U E N T U T U I K E N G M

P F F S Y K L E Z P Q L J I U K W Y G X O Q V A M

R Y H C O M P O S E R D O B T A B P U Q C P B V J

P U J Y L T W K N J W J D L H H W Y Y E T P C N O

A O H I X S L D Q E P L W I T D S L P E Z S W N Q

T X E Q J R K U M S L H G T H Z S F U F F D V Y R

H E V N P C W G T L F F G E Z L F Q S X B S W X C

P K X I I B K Q I M C E F Q K A U W C A O P K A B

T A D Z H R N A Y V D G D O Z V M W L P A B Y J D

BALANCHINE

CHOREOGRAPHER

COMPOSER

COSTUMES

COUNTER

BALANCE

CURTAIN CALL

DESIGNER

FORSYTHE

INGENUITY

PAS DE DEUX

POINTE SHOE

ROBBINS

SETS

TIARA

TUNIC

TUTU

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Appendices

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Appendix A

Houston Ballet 1955-Today

The mission of Houston Ballet is to inspire a lasting love and appreciation

for dance through artistic excellence, exhilarating performances, innovative

choreography and superb educational programs.

Houston Ballet Foundation was formed in 1955 and Houston Ballet

Academy, a school for nurturing talented dance students with dreams of

professional dancing, was established that same year. In 1969, the professional

resident company was founded drawing upon the strength of the Academy.

In 1976, the Houston Ballet conducted a national and international search

for an Artistic Director. Ben Stevenson, formerly director of the National Ballet of

Washington D.C., Principal Dancer and Ballet Master with the London Festival

Ballet, was hired and served as Artistic Director until 2003. Through his

exceptional leadership and direction, Houston Ballet developed a broad

repertory including both classical and contemporary works as well as an

Academy with a first-rate professional training school.

In 1987, the company moved into its new performing home, the

magnificent Wortham Center, a facility with which few performing arts houses

in the world can compare.

In July 2003, the acclaimed Australian choreographer Stanton Welch

assumed the leadership of Houston Ballet, America's fourth largest ballet

company, as artistic director. Since his arrival, Mr. Welch has transformed

Houston Ballet by raising the level of classical technique, infusing the company

with new energy, drive and vision; introducing works by distinguished

choreographers to the repertoire; and attracting some of the world's best

coaches to Houston to work with the dancers. He has created works for such

prestigious international companies as Houston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet,

American Ballet Theatre, The Australian Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and

Royal Danish Ballet.

In 2011, Houston Ballet moved into its new home, the largest dance center

in North America, Houston Ballet’s Center for Dance; with over 70,000 square

feet, and a bridge connecting it to the Wortham Theater.

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Appendix b

Stanton Welch, Artistic Director

Mr. Welch was born in Melbourne to Marilyn Jones, O.B.E., and Garth

Welch, A.M., two of Australia's most gifted dancers of the 1960s and

1970s. In 1986 he began his training at the late age of seventeen,

quickly winning a scholarship to San Francisco Ballet School. In 1989

he was engaged as a dancer with The Australian Ballet, where he

rose to the rank of leading soloist, performing such principal roles as

Des Grieux in Sir Kenneth MacMillan's Manon, Lensky in John

Cranko's Onegin, Camille in Ronald Hynd's The Merry Widow, and

Alan Strang in Equus. He has also worked with internationally

acclaimed choreographers such as Jiří Kylían, Nacho Duato, and

Maurice Béjart.

In 1990 he received his first choreographic commission from Australian Ballet, the

beginning of a series of commissioned works over the next 14 years. For The

Australian Ballet he has created The Three of Us (1990); Of Blessed Memory (1991), for

which he was voted best new choreographer in 1992 by readers of the British

magazine Dance & Dancers; Divergence (1994), which has been performed at The

Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and City Center in New York; full-length

productions of Madame Butterfly (1995), Cinderella (1997), La Bayadere (2010), and

Romeo & Juliet (2015). In 2005, Mr. Welch created a lavish new staging of The

Sleeping Beauty for The Australian Ballet. Madame Butterfly has become a signature

work for Mr. Welch internationally, and is in the repertoires of Houston Ballet, National

Ballet of Canada, Atlanta Ballet, Singapore Dance Theatre, and Boston Ballet. In

1995, Mr. Welch was named resident choreographer of The Australian Ballet.

Mr. Welch has been extremely active internationally, receiving numerous commissions

from the world’s leading companies. For Houston Ballet, he has choreographed

Indigo (1999), Bruiser (2000), Tales of Texas (2004), Blindness (2004), Bolero

(2004), Nosotros (2005), Brigade (2006), a spectacular new staging of Swan Lake

(2006), The Four Seasons (2007), Punctilious (2007), The Core (2008), A Doll's House

(2008), Mediæval Bæbes (2008), Marie (2009), Elements (2009), 40 (2009), La

Bayadere (2010), and Zodiac and Romeo & Juliet (2015).

Play by Stanton Welch-



Maninyas by Stanton Welch-



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Appendix c

Glossary

Act: How the story of the ballet is divided up. Similar to chapters in a book.

Asymmetrical: Angled and uneven; lacking in symmetry

Choreographer: The person who makes up the steps for a dance.

Composer: The person who writes the music.

Costumes: What the dancers wear in a ballet.

Counterbalance: The use of one weight to balance another weight

Curtain Call: the bow dancers take at the end of a performance.

Designer: The person who decides what the costumes and sets should look like.

Neo-Classical: a new version of ballet

Ingenuity: The quality of being clever, original, and innovative

Intermission: A break between acts that allows the dancers to rest and the audience to

get up and move around.

Partnering: When a male and female dance together and support one another

Pas de Deux: A series of dances for a lead female and lead male dancer.

Pointe Shoe: A ballet shoe with a hard tip worn by women that allows them to dance on

the tips of their toes.

Sets: The stage decorations that help us understand where and when a ballet takes

place.

Standing Ovation: A period of prolonged applause during which those in the audience

rise to their feet and clap for the performers

Tiara: A small crown that a female dancer wears on her head.

Tunic: A long shirt worn by a male ballet dancer in classical ballets.

Tutu: The costume worn by female dancers in classical ballets. It can be long or short.

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AMERICAN INGENUITY - Houston Ballet